Area Gets Look From Arena Brass

August 20, 1987|By Tim Povtak of The Sentinel Staff

After stops in Tampa Monday and Miami Tuesday, the Arena Football League organizers toured both Orlando and Daytona Beach Wednesday, hoping to place at least one of the Florida cities in its league for next season.

Jim Foster, President of Arena Football; Dino Tatooles, owner-operator of the Chicago franchise, and Doug Buffone, the league's director of development, met with Central Florida businessmen, local politicians and members of the Orange-Orlando Sports Committee Wednesday. They also toured the Daytona Beach Ocean Center and Orlando's downtown arena, now under construction.

Arena Football, which is played indoors on a 50-yard, walled-in field, completed its initial season Aug. 1 with teams in Denver, Washington, Pittsburgh and Chicago.

Foster said the league expects to expand to eight or 10 teams for next season. Detroit already has been added and Foster is looking for at least three more franchises, expecting at least one from Florida, Texas and Southern California. He expects to name the Florida team in two or three weeks.

''I've been impressed with the attitude and the enthusiasm herein Central Florida. The potential is tremendous,'' Foster said. ''And the arena you are building will be one of the best in the country. We'd like to be a part of it.''

Because the Orlando arena will not be ready until December 1988, if Orlando lands a franchise, it would play its first season in the Daytona Beach Ocean Center, which can seat 8,500. The Orlando arena will seat approximately 15,000.

The price of an expansion franchise is $2.2 million.

Dr. Bob Geldner, a local chiropractor, and Wayne Densch, the owns the area's most successful beer distributorship, are currently putting together an area ownership group.

''I think you've already got the horses here lined up to make it work,'' Foster said before leaving for Chicago Wednesday night.

''I think it's something that could work,'' said Densch, who recently pledged a $1 million gift to the University of Central Florida athletic department. ''I'm excited about it.''

Foster said Wednesday that in its first season, the league averaged 11,000 fans per game. The league also has five years left on its television contract with ESPN and currently is negotiating with Fox Broadcasting Company. Games are played on Friday and Saturday nights in the summer.